why does breath mints and other such based sweets seem to alleviate hunger?
In: Biology
A little bit of psychology and a little bit of poor eating habits.
We are trained from an early age that mint = eating is done. Toothpaste is mint-flavoured, after-dinner mints appear… well, after dinner, chewing gum is chewed after or instead of eating, etc. Most occasions you get mints that are not holiday-based are “no food is forthcoming” moments. Psychologically, you can eventually train your brain to settle down your hunger with stuff like this, Pavlov-style.
The other element is that mint has anti-nausea properties. If you eat it when you are not actually hungry, it will soothe your stomach. We often mistake boredom, vague stomach gurgles, or even just not-being-full for hunger nowadays. Mint settles those feelings by physically soothing your stomach.
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